Alberta

Alberta

(In Detail) (In Detail)

Motto: Fortis et Liber (Strong and free)

Capital
Largest city Edmonton
Calgary

Area

- Total
- % fresh water 6th largest
(4th lgst prov.)
661 848 km²
2,95%

Population
- Total (2001)
- Density Ranked 4th
3 064 249
4,63/km²

Admittance into Confederation
- Date
- Order Split off
from NWT
1 September 1905
10

Time zone UTC -7
Postal information
Postal abbreviation
Postal code prefix
AB
T

ISO 3166-2 CA-AB

Parliamentary
representation
Seats in the House
Seats in the Senate

26
6
Premier Ralph Klein (P.C.)
Lieutenant-Governor Lois Hole

Government of Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada's provinces. Its capital is the city of Edmonton. Other cities and towns include Banff, Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. See also: List of communities in Alberta.

As of 2001, the population of the province is 3,064,249 (Albertans). The Premier of the province is Ralph Klein. See also List of Alberta Premiers.

Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (d. 1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.

Table of contents

1 Geography

1.1 Terrain
1.2 Mountains
1.3 Water

2 Climate

2.4 Fauna
2.5 Flora

3 Industry

3.6 Communications
3.7 Government

4 Culture
5 Religion
6 History
7 See also

Geography

Alberta is in western Canada. Area 661,190 km² (260,000 mi²) It is bounded to the south by the United States boundary line, 49°. Eastwards at 110° west it borders the province of Saskatchewan. At 60° north it is separated from the Northwest Territories. To the west by the line of peaks of the Rocky Mountains range, which runs northwesterly, and divides it from British Columbia.

Alberta is a fertile province, as the eastern and southern portions its surface consists chiefly of plains that are almost entirely treeless. As the slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the west are reached more trees are found, until in the foothills of the mountains bodies of forest timber occur. Trees also become more numerous in the northern part of the province, until in the region north of the North Saskatchewan River forests are again met with. From the southern boundary line for 2.5° north the prairie is dry, but of good soil, which grows excellent crops when irrigated. North of this region the surface of the province is of most fertile soil, the ordinary rainfall sufficing for agriculture. Alberta also has large oil reserves, especially in the Alberta tar sands in the north of the province.

The appearance of the prairie section of the province is that of undulating meadows, with rounded sloping ridges covered with shorter grasses, which serve for the support of large herds of beef cattle. The wooded portions of the terrain are dotted with clumps and belts of trees of moderate size, giving them a park-like appearance. In winter it is continuously very cold, but this is occasionally reduced by warm winds from the west, known as the Chinook.

Mountains

Within a hundred miles of the mountains there is constantly in view, in clear weather, a line of snowy peaks along the western horizon. This continues for hundreds of miles northwestward. The Rocky Mountains are ascended by a gradual approach from the east, but are exceedingly abrupt on their transalpine slope in British Columbia. The peaks of these mountains are majestic, many of them reaching a height of more than two miles above the sea. Among the more notable of these are:

Mount Robson, 12,973 ft. (3954m)
Mount Columbia, 12,294 ft. (3747m)
Assiniboine, 11,850 ft. (3559m)
Fyell 12,000 ft. (3603m)
Mummery 12,000 ft. (3603m)
Mount Temple 11,658 ft. (3501m)
Geikie 11,000 ft. (3303m)
Mount Brown 9,050 ft. (2717m).

Historically travel through these mountains was difficult, and alpine passes became very important. The most noted of the Alberta passes are:

The Crowsnest Pass, near the southern boundary line, through which a branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway runs.
The Kicking Horse Pass, through which the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway was built; 80 miles (130 km) from the eastern end of this pass is the gate of Banff National Park, with the famous watering-place of Banff as its centre.
The Yellowhead Pass, running west from the Athabasca River; this pass was discovered by Capt. Palliser (1858), was crossed by Lord Milton and Dr W. B. Cheadle (1861), and by Sandford Fleming (1871-1872) in the Ocean to Ocean expedition;
Peace River Pass in British Columbia. By this pass Alexander Mackenzie made his voyage.

Water

With the exception of the southern section, the province of Alberta may be said to be well watered. Rising from numerous valleys on the Alberta declivity of the Rocky Mountains between the international boundary line and 52° north are streams which unite to form the Belly River, and farther north the Bow River. Running eastward these two rivers unite about 112° west, and flow on under the name of the South Saskatchewan River. North of 52° north many small streams unite to form the Red Deer River, which flowing southeastward joins the South Saskatchewan near 110° west. Between 52° and 53° north rises the great river, the North Saskatchewan. It receives a southern tributary, the Battle River, which joins it about 108° west. Pursuing their courses eastward the North and South Saskatchewan rivers unite in the Saskatchewan River (Cree, rapid-flowing river), which finds its way to Lake Winnipeg, and thence by way of Nelson River to Hudson Bay. It is one of the mightiest rivers of the continent.

At Mount Athabasca, there is an unusual occurrence where the water flows either to the Pacific ocean on the western slope, the Arctic ocean on the northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast.

In the northern part of the province, between 53° and 54° north, all the waters of Alberta flow toward the Arctic Ocean. Starting at Mount Athabasca, the Athabasca River runs north and empties into Lake Athabasca near 58° north. North of 56° north flows through and from the Rocky Mountains as the Peace River. After descending northeastward to within a few miles of Lake Athabasca, it is met by a stream emerging from that lake. The united river carrying down the waters of the Athabasca slope is called the Slave River, which, passing through Great Slave Lake, emerges as the great Mackenzie River, which falls into the Arctic Ocean. Alberta thus gives rise to the two great rivers, the Saskatchewan and the Mackenzie.

While a number of fresh-water, or in some cases brackish, lakes each less than 260 km² (100 mi²) in extent are situated in Alberta, two of more considerable size are found. These are Lake Athabasca, 7898 km² (3085 mi²) in extent, of which a part is in the province of Saskatchewan, and the other Lesser Slave Lake some 1550 km² (600 mi²) in area.

Climate

As Alberta extends for 1200 km (750 miles) from north to south, it is natural that the climate should vary considerably between parallels of 49° and 60° north and also between 110° and 120° west. It is also further influenced by the different altitudes above the sea of the several parts of the province. Dividing the province into three equal parts of 400 km. each from north to south, these may be called (A) the south, (B) the centre, (C) the north. The following data may be considered:

CLIMATIC TABLE
Climate Places Above the Sea Mean Winter Temp

(A) Moderate and changeable Medicine Hat, lat. 50° N. 2171 ft. 651 m 14.3°F -9.8°C

Calgary, lat. 51° 3432 ft. 1049 m 15.4°F -9.2°C

Banff, lat. 51.5° 4515 ft. 1355 m 15.9°F -8.9°C.

(B) Steady Edmonton, lat. 53.5° 2210 ft. 663m 10.3°F -12.1°C

(C) Severe Fort Chipewyan, lat. 59° N. 600 ft. 180 m 7.2°F -13.8°C

Climate (A) allows, in what is a great ranching district, cattle to run at large through the whole winter. Through the mountain passes come at times dry winds from the Pacific coast, which lick up the snow in a few hours. These winds are known as Chinook winds. While elevating the temperature they bring more moisture into the air and produce a change not entirely desirable.

Climate (B) is the steady winter climate of Edmonton district. This while averaging a lower temperature than (A) is not so subject to change; it retains the snow for sleighing, which is a boon to the farmer. This climate is much less influenced by the Pacific winds than (A).

Climate (C), that of Fort Chipewyan, having a mean winter temperature of 4.6°C lower than Calgary, is a decidedly sub-arctic climate. It is the region in winter of constant ice and snow, but its lower altitude gives it a summer climate with a mean temperature of only 0.9°C less than Calgary, and 1.0°C less than Edmonton.

Fauna

The three climatic regions of Alberta have naturally a varying fauna. The south and central region was the land of the bison, its grasses affording a great pasture ground for tens of thousands of "buffalo." They were destroyed by whites and Indians 1870 to 1882 on the approach of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Grizzly, black and cinnamon bears are, found in the mountains and wooded districts. The coyote, here and there the grey wolf, the fox and the mountain lion (puma) occur. The moose and red deer are found in the wooded regions, and the mule deer jumping deer and antelope on the prairies. Wild sheep and goats live in the Rocky Mountains. The lynx, wolverine, porcupine, skunk, hare, squirrel, marmot and mouse are met. The gopher (Richarson's ground squirrel) is a resident of the dry plains. District (C) is the fur-trader's paradise. The plains buffalo is replaced by the wood buffalo, of which a few survive. The musk oxen come in thousands every year to the great northern lakes, while the mink, marten, beaver, otter, ermine and muskrat are sought by the fur-trader. Fort Chipewyan was long known in Hudson's Bay Company history as the great depot of the Mackenzie River district. Northern Alberta and the region farther north is the nesting-ground of the migratory birds. Here vast numbers of ducks, geese, swans and pelicans resort every year. Craness, partridges and varieties of singing birds abound. The eagle, hawk, owl and crow are plentiful. Mosquitoes and flies are everywhere, and the wasp and wild bee also. In the rivers and lakes pike, pickerel, white fish and sturgeon supply food for the natives, and the brook trout is found in the small mountain streams. The turtle and frog also appear.

Flora

In central and northern Alberta the opening spring brings in the prairie anemone, the avens and other early flowers. The advancing summer introduces many flowers of the sunflower family, until in August the plains are one blaze of yellow and purple. The southern part of Alberta is covered by a short grass, very nutritive, but drying up in the middle of summer until the whole prairie is brown and unattractive. The trees in the wooded sections of the province are seen in clumps and belts on the hill sides. These are largely deciduous. On the north side of the Saskatchewan River forests prevail for scores and even hundreds of miles. They contain the poplar or aspen (Populus tremuloides), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), and paper or canoe birch (Fetula papyrifera.) Conifers are found northward and in the mountain valleys. Some of these are: Jack pine (Pinus banksiana), Rocky Mountain pine (Pinus flexilis), black pine (Pinus murrayana), white spruce (Picea alba), black spruce (Picea nigra), Engelman's spruce (Picea engelmanni), mountain balsam (Abies subalpina), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga douglasii), mountain larch (Larix lyallis.)

Industry

Alberta is the largest producer of conventional crude, synthetic crude, natural gas and gas products in the country. Two of the larges producers of petrochemicals in North America are located in central and north central Alberta. In both Red Deer and Edmonton, world class polyethylene and vinyl manufacturers produce products shipped all over the world.

The Athabasca Tar Sands (now referred to as the Athabasca Oil Sands) have estimated oil reserves in excess of that found in the Arabian Peninsula, measured in trillions of barrels. With the advancement of extraction methods, bitumen and economical synthetic crude are produced at costs nearing that of conventional crude. This technology is Alberta grown and developed. Many companies employ both conventional strip mining and non-convention extraction methods to extract the bitumen from the Athabasca deposit.

While Edmonton is considered the pipeline junction and refining centre of the province, Calgary is known for its senior and junior oil company head offices.

Beef and agriculture hold significant positions in the province's economy. Over 5 million cattle are residents of the province at one time or another. Alberta is one of the prime producers of plains buffalo (bison) for the consumer market. With concerted effort and support from the provincial government, several high-tech industries have found their birth in Alberta, notably the invention and perfection of liquid crystal display systems. With a growing economy, Alberta has several financial institutions dealing with several civil and private funds.

Communications

Government

The government of Alberta is carried on by a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. The capital of the province is Edmonton, and here reside the premier, legislature, lieutenant-governor and cabinet. The legislature consists of one house -- the Legislative Assembly -- of 83 members. Government is conducted after the Westminster model. The province's revenue, although including grants from the Federal government, is chiefly derived from management of the provincial resources. Alberta has a system of municipal government similar to that of the other provinces. The largest exception is that Alberta is the only province in Canada without a provincial sales tax PST.

Albertans politics are more right-wing than those of any Canadian province. The provincial government has been from a series of right wing parties for decades, first with Social Credit and today with the Conservatives. The current premier of Alberta is Ralph Klein, who despite having beaten a problem with alcohol and some historic statements that many could consider somewhat bigoted, remains extremely popular in the province.

Alberta is the heartland of the Canadian Alliance, the second largest party in parliament and the furthest right. Both provincial governments and the Alliance reflect Alberta more socially conservative nature than other provinces. Albertans due to historic roots, tend to be less in favour of social ideals such as gay marriage, gun control, and abortion. Albertans appear more pro-death penalty but are actually more law-and-order focused. The existence of a two-tier health care system is not a prime focus of Albertans. They are looking toward revamping of the health care system to improve services and reduce costs. This is consistent with the conservative policy headed by Premier Ralph Klein.

Albertans have long memories and remember well the National Energy Policy NEP of the Trudeau Liberal government that essentially took away the right of the province to control its resources, something that is basic to the Canadian Constitution. With this off-hand treatment from Ottawa, Albertans began to rumble about separation due to alienation from the federation. This rumble re-emerges from time to time; however, it is in no way a main-stream focus for the province. Alberta remains a staunch supporter of federalism and the right to say "the emperor has no clothes!"

Albertans are the lowest taxed people in Canada, mostly because of the province's considerable oil and gas income. Alberta is the only province without a sales tax. The federal government has attempted on a number of occasions to redistribute Alberta's wealth, most famously with Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Policy (NEP). This policy was removed by the Mulroney conservatives in 1984, however. Alberta is still one of three provinces that pays transfer payments to the other seven poorer provinces.

It is interesting to note that prior to the discovery of oil and gas in Alberta, the province was considered one of the poorest in the country. Now that the tables have turned, Albertans are proud to assist in the development of the rest of Canada. The only proviso is that the development be intended for the good of all Canadians, not just friends of the powerful.

Culture

Alberta is well known for its friendly albeit somewhat basic cultural activities. It is the Canadian province with the fewest literary works published per capita. It lacks the strong traditional musical culture of the Maritimes, and the the experimental scene of British Columbia but makes up with a warm and outgoing friendliness mixed with the Klondike and Stampede spirit. If there is a question, visit Calgary during Stampede or Edmonton during Klondike Days and you will become a convert. Besides, in a province where winter can last seven months, warmth is a natural thing.

Both Edmonton and Calgary have quality symphony orchestras. Many performing venues exist throughout the province. Notables being the Calgary and Edmonton Jubilee Theatres, as well as many university- and college-based companies. The Northern Lights Theatre located at Keyano College in Fort McMurray -- 530 km north of Edmonton -- is known throughout western Canada for its quality performances and curriculum. Several well-known theatre artists got their start in an Alberta theatre.

Summer brings a multitude of festivals to the province. The Fringe Festivals, Folk Festivals, Multi-culture Festivals, Heritage Days -- just to name a few -- highlight the province's cultural diversity and love of entertainment. Most of the major cities have several performing theatre companies who entertain the populace with everything from opera to soap opera in venues as diverse as the Jubilee Theatre to the Bus Barns.

Both cities tout first-class Canadian Football League and National Hockey League teams. Baseball (Pacific Coast League) and soccer as well as rugby and lacrosse are played professionally in Alberta.

Architecturally, the province may be somewhat lacking. Calgary is known for its New York- or Toronto-style glass-and-steel high-rises while Edmonton boasts many facades from the early 1900s. Still, not bad for a province that was formed in the early 1900s and started as NWMP (North West Mounted Police) outposts.

In 2001 one British journalist nicknamed Edmonton 'Deadmonton' for its lack of culture and night life. He later recanted after being shown the city by the then mayor 'Bill Smith' by helicopter. The province's universities stand equal to and well above many other institutions of higher learning in Canada. Alberta boasts one of the few successful and accredited distance learning universities (Athabasca University) in Canada. Of the schools of higher learning one cannot ignore the two major colleges, NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) which produce annually thousands of qualified, ready-to-work graduates in disciplines as varied as 'Mechanical Technology' and 'Baking'. Alberta's educational institutions are second to none in Canada.

Although Alberta lacks a preponderance of notable large art galleries of the New York or Toronto variety, many small and galleries exist in the major centres. These galleries focus on local artists and artisans. Canadian and northern Canadian art and crafts are notable in their popularity. Local sculptors, painters, weavers and many other artisans show original works throughout the province.

Many films and some television shows have been shot in Alberta. Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven and the CBC's Jake and the Kid are notables among many. For years, the TV program Viper was shot in downtown Calgary. Though it could be said that few films and television shows are filmed in Alberta compared to the rest of Canada, this is really a matter of finances and grants from the various provincial governments and can change on a whim or an election. Some notable oases in this desert are Banff, a Rocky Mountain resort town that is home to the annual Banff television festival, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller which has a remarkable collection of dinosaur fossils found in the Alberta badlands.

Religion

Many Albertans are some form of Christian faith; however, a wide variety of other faiths also present, as well as many people professing no religion. Alberta has a higher percentage of evangelical Christians than other provinces.

The Mormons of Alberta are in the most southerly part of the province, and are a colony from the Mormon settlements in Utah. On coming to Canada they were given lands by the Dominion of Canada. The organization adopted in Utah among the Mormons is found also in Alberta, but the Canadian Mormons profess to have received a later revelation condemning polygamy.

History

The present province of Alberta as far north as the height of land (53° N.) was from the time of the incorporation of the Hudson's Bay Company (1670) a part of Rupert's Land. After the discovery of the northwest by the French in 1731 and succeeding years the prairies of the west were occupied by them, and Fort La Jonquière was established near the present city of Calgary (1752). The North-West Company of Montreal occupied the northern part of Alberta district before the Hudson's Bay Company succeeded in coming from Hudson Bay to take possession of it. The first hold of the Athabasca region was gained by Peter Pond, who, on behalf of the North-West Company of Montreal, built Fort Athabasca on Lac La Biche in 1778. Roderick Mackenzie, cousin of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, built Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca in 1788. By way of the North Saskatchewan River Alexander Mackenzie crossed the height of land, and proceeding northward discovered the river which bears his name, and also the Arctic Sea. Afterward going westward from Lake Athabasca and through the Peace River, he reached the Pacific Ocean, being the first white man to cross the North American continent, north of Mexico.

As part of the Northwest Territories the district of Alberta was organized in 1875. Additional privileges and a local legislature were added from time to time. At length in 1905 the district of Alberta was enlarged and the present province formed by the Dominion parliament. (G. BR.)